Someone drove off the ledge next to the Carls Jr on west 11th.

Breakfast Brigade, a homeless outreach group, is asking the City council tonight to restore its special use permit which allowed them to serve meals at Washington Jefferson Park four days a week. What say you?

I am new to politics and first time voter and I feel a lot uncertainty right now and I would like to know how likely is Eugene OR to be affected with new rules for women reproductions rights

The location of a new Chick-fil-A being built on Gateway and Beltline was a poor decision by Springfield City Planning. The amount of people trying to turn left out of McDonald’s and Panda Express across oncoming traffic is terrible. Adding another fast food restaurant right at the corner of a major through-fair and an express way is an outstanding decision for automobile insurance companies and local body shops.

The former Montgomery Ward building and LCC downtown campus will be demolished in early 2025 to make way for new mixed-income housing.

It will have a total of 133 apartments with a little more than half being rent-controlled studios. Rent controlled studios start at $1,128 while market-priced studios start at $1,500 a month. There are other types of units with higher rent.

Is this good news? Bad news? What's the general consensus?

https://www.kezi.com/news/1059-willamette-street-on-track-for-2025-demolition-to-be-replaced-by-apartment-complex/article_732d2356-ba80-11ef-abaa-53dd06e8b3f1.html

"To avoid experiencing a rent burden, a renter should spend no more than 30% of their monthly income on housing costs. With the average cost of a one-bedroom apartment at $1,254 in 2023, a person would need to earn $50,166 to avoid experiencing a rent burden. Anyone earning less than this amount would be rent burdened by the cost of a typical apartment. About 48% of occupational groups have average wages meeting this definition and will account for 44% of job creation projected through 2032."

The full report has other really grim stats:
https://www.oregon.gov/ohcs/about-us/Pages/state-of-the-state-housing.aspx

Okay here’s a small little Friday rant.

To the idiot who was drinking and lighting off fireworks at the top of skinner’s butte on Tuesday, you ruined a uniquely Eugene park. I’m sorry that you lack self control and had to light your illegal fireworks off to make yourself feel good but really you did it at the top of a dry grass hill in the middle of fire season. You obviously didn’t finish your sophomore year of high school or you never had parents that loved you. Either way you ruined it for all 175,000 people that live in this city. I’m honestly surprised the officers that detained you decided to be nice and let you go, not only were you driving on a suspended license, you were drunk driving and potentially endangering the public. Grow up, if not, stay home or just leave because like I’ve said YOU RUINED IT. I personally feel this is the best possible outcome for the fire hazard situation on the butte, however I’m a bit disappointed as well because the butte is great especially when football season starts, being able to listen to the plays across the river is fun. Unfortunately we can’t have nice things because of people like them. Lastly if you’re going to set off fireworks even though they’re illegal maybe idk do it in a parking lot or somewhere where there isn’t dry fuel waiting to catch fire. Just a thought.

Sam Bonds isn't closing!!!

I was at the Safeway on 18th and Oak street today at noon, and store security was wailing on this kid for the alleged crime of…. Stealing a thing of sushi. FOOD.

Two huge guys were tackling this kid, pushing him, laying hands on him, shoving him up against a brick wall, tearing his clothes. They were also patting him down, which I think was inappropriate. He was a kid from SEHS, probably only like 5”5. It was messed up. Apparently the kid had been accosted by store security, and hadn’t known who they were. I assume he tried to walk away or resist because the security was in plainclothes. They weren’t in uniform. To him, I imagine it just looked like two adult strangers were holding him down.

The store had called the cops, and I’m not lying when I say THREE cop cars showed up. They handcuffed the kid and took him upstairs in the Safeway.

This kid must’ve been a freshman. It was really, really messed up. People who weren’t store security had hands on him, around his waist and on his neck. There was another man who wasn’t store security who was being instigatory and aggressive to the kids friends. He pushed them, shoulder checked them, and honestly really scared a lot of people. The same man tried to push and lay his hands on TWO separate women who were there filming the security.

Then school campus security showed up, and I assume checked on the kid. Very quickly after though they were all back at SEHS campus. It just bothered me so much, the kid hadn’t even gotten a chance to call his mom yet. And to my knowledge nobody had told him what was going on, or informed him about his legal rights.

The kid had been really roughed up by the store security (who, by the way, were in plain clothes, not uniforms) and by random people off the street. He was scared, and really young.

I’m just writing this because the conduct of store security really disturbed me, and in my opinion it was a horrifying and violent overreaction to what was apparently only this kid trying to take some safeway sushi.

If you were one of the witnesses who filmed the store security rough up that kid, make sure to send the videos to local news. If the Safeway staff were comfortable laying hands on a kid in broad daylight, I don’t like to imagine what they’d do to him when nobody is filming.

Thanks everyone.

To those unaware fireworks are dangerous and will cause fires! At about 12:15am on top of skinner’s butte (from what I’ve been told) a group of teenagers lit off a few large fireworks and started a brush fire on the south side of the butte. The teens promptly fled the scene (security has their license plates) the fire lasted about 25 minutes burning a good chunk of the hill including the big O. I live in the area and to come home from work only to have a panic attack cause some irresponsible teens lot the hill on fire in not what I want.

I would also like to note that I am all for fireworks when they are done on a safe and controlled environment without the risk or burning things down.

Lastly fireworks are ILLEGAL in Eugene unless you obtain a permit from the city. Please be safe, responsible, and respectful of those around you.

Did anyone else see the drones swarming the highway on the night of Nov. 3rd?

I was on my way down from Albany and saw 12 of the them, spread out between Halsey and the Eugene airport. They were different shapes, sizes, and they were not flying in a grid like you would expect them to if they were surveying. I know some of you are probably giggling at my bad photos, but I promise this was not the moon/stars; in person you could clearly see the bodies of the drones. At first I thought was they were being used for farming purposes, but after watching the news updates about everything happening in New Jersey, I don't know what to think.

Wonder how this is going to pan out.

https://www.kezi.com/news/city-of-eugene-eliminates-off-street-parking-requirements-for-developers/article_fb94603a-83e8-11ee-a2d6-fb13e6f2f0be.html

Walking out of the Duck, 2 people were hit by a car on Martin Luther. I was just wondering if anyone knew if they were ok? I saw the accident and it kind of messed with me

Jacoby and Jack in Blairally bar 9/18/24. Special giveaway on 103.7, no tickets were sold.

From KEZI:

EUGENE, Ore. – After being evicted early in July, a Eugene woman is now back in the home on Almaden Street after she was evicted last Wednesday.

--snip--

King had been living in the house on Almaden for seven years, and had been trying to buy it for the last four years. When the property owner, Sharon Prager, would not sell the home, King decided to stop paying rent. King stopped paying rent in March 2023 and was sent a 10-day notice of non-payment in April by Charlie Hansen, a property manager with R&R Properties.

--snip--

Since King was evicted, she has gotten back into the home and continues to live there surrounded by supporters camping outside her door.

Supporters of King have set up tents and signs up around the entire property, making it difficult for people to enter. Hansen said she is unable to collect rent or even speak with King because of the amount of people camped outside.

Much more at the link. How will it end, r/Eugene?

I'm curious what folks think of this plan.

From KEZI:

EUGENE, Ore -- Oregon's experiment in drug decriminalization is coming to an end, with House Bill 4002 coming into effect in Lane County in October. The bill will reverse sections of Measure 110 that lessened criminal offenses for possession and use of some drugs.

In preparation for recriminalization both the Eugene Police Department and the Lane County Sheriff's Office are taking steps for drug training. According to Chief of Eugene Police Chris Skinner, there's going to be a little bit of a learning curve for some of his police officers. House Bill 4002, the recriminalization bill, makes drug possession an unclassified misdemeanor. Some of EPD's officers, according to Chief Skinner, don't have experience with drug possession as a misdemeanor crime. The Department has been training and retraining officers on how to handle drug possession cases.

--SNIP--

EPD will also have a new "deflection" program. It's a system in which drug addicts can be taken to a treatment center instead of jail. Chief Skinner believes the new program will increase interactions with Eugene's homeless population. Drug use among the homeless population is quite common. Ultimately, he said the goal is to get more people into treatment which he believes will lower the crime rate.

More at the link, including video.

Related: Oregon law rolling back drug decriminalization set to take effect and make possession a crime again